It’s Spring again, and, after a long hiatus, I’m hoping to get back into the blogging habit. If you’re anything like me, Spring (meaning April or later here in New England) means a new pair of shoes, a renewed commitment to regular exercise, a slightly reduced butter consumption, taking pictures of the same flowers you […]

What with the weather going through its very sudden transition into autumn, and the light being not at all what it was less than 15 days ago, it is no longer time for seasonal denial; fall is not only coming, it’s here. If summer is the time for salads, early fall is a time for […]

While on the subject of seasonal August eating, I will shift my focus to my absolute favorite two things in the whole wide world: corn and tomatoes. It’s probably because they come of age at just the same time- tomatoes reach their sweetest and juiciest potential while corn hits that super sugary, crunchy and thick stage, characteristics […]

This recipe doesn’t really have much to do with Chinese food energetics, but as a New Englander, I often think local and in season trumps any sort of theoretical knowledge, no matter how old it may be. Besides, even according to the acupuncturist’s calender of dos and don’ts, August is “earth time,” damp and plentiful, […]

For most of the year, I’m not a huge advocate of “the salad.” I see people ordering icy cold plates of lettuce and raw peppers in January and I can’t help but cringe. But, when we finally hit summer’s muggy humid heat, when bare feet become the footwear of choice and gardens offer up endless […]

Due to my own propensity to various food and chemical sensitivities, I try to stay away from things like preservatives in my food. I’ve currently narrowed down the culprits to sulfites and benzoates, both very common additives in prepared sauces, and nearly impossible to avoid when eating out. Both sulfites and benzoates trigger asthma attacks, which can mean […]

For whatever reason, it has become normal to dehusk one’s corn in-store. There are very few things that irk me the way that this does (The song Call Me Maybe being one of them). “But it’s so much easier to just do it there,” you whine, “and I avoid getting those little corn silky things […]

It’s mid-summer. Let’s talk heat stroke, shall we? This is the one area you don’t need to have a deep philosophical understanding of Chinese medicine to get. I mean, when you’re hot and feel kind of sick from it, you’d probably love to dump some excess heat. Typical reactions to the malaise, nausea, headache and […]

Finally we have a decent study that proves not all calories are created equal. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined how three popular diets affect metabolism and weight loss. Specifically it put the standard low-fat, high carb diet so beloved by cardiac surgeons, against an Atkins’- like high fat, […]

Last week I wrote on the health benefits of turmeric, and I’ve kind of been obsessed with it ever since. Because of its actions as an anti-inflammatory and, in Chinese medical terms, as a blood mover, it is especially good for women during “that time of the month,” and anyone experiencing chronic pain. Most importantly […]